Position Details
Universitas 21
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £33,002 to £35,608 with potential progression once in post to £39,906.
Grade: 6
Full Time, but can be adapted to 0.8 FTE to accommodate flexible working requirements.
Permanent
Closing date: 22nd March 2026
Interviews: Week commencing 13th April 2026
This role is employed by the University of Birmingham but dedicated exclusively to Universitas 21 (U21), a global network of 31 research-intensive universities spanning six continents.
Department Overview
Since its founding in 1997, U21 has championed knowledge sharing and partnership among its members. Through a diverse portfolio of initiatives, the network advances global education, enables impactful research, and strengthens leadership in higher education. By fostering trusted collaborations and innovative programs, U21 helps institutions and individuals co‑create solutions to global challenges, enrich student and staff experiences, and develop culturally informed perspectives that transcend borders.
Our offer to you
People are at the heart of what we are and do.
The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.
We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector‑leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.
We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.
Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high‑quality subsidised day nurseries.
The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state‑of‑the‑art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.
Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham.
Background
The University of Birmingham is a leading global institution, rooted in a diverse and vibrant city, committed to delivering world‑class education and undertaking research that makes a real impact. We are a place of open, critical thinking and the creation, sharing, and dissemination of knowledge. Our Birmingham Professional programme underpins this commitment by supporting colleagues to collaborate, learn, and develop, ensuring high standards and a culture of excellence across the University.
This role is full time, but can be adapted to 0.8 FTE to accommodate flexible working requirements.
Role Summary
The Global Programmes and Stakeholder Engagement Officer serves as a subject‑matter expert on the full suite of U21 programmes and member opportunities, using specialist CRM and data insights to support the network‑wide engagement strategy, cross‑team initiatives and continuous organisational learning. The role leads the planning, and delivery for all U21 student and staff programmes and beneficiary‑focused initiatives, including the Collaborative Seed Fund and the U21 Awards.
The postholder also holds a high degree of responsibility for coordinating engagement with key stakeholder groups and Senior Leaders across the network. Working closely with the Head of Global Engagement (Education) they act as the CRM/Data Specialist for all HubSpot workflows and reporting.
Providing shared strategic and operational support to both the Global Education and Global Research leads (with a roughly equal time allocation), the role enhances stakeholder and beneficiary engagement, strengthens operational capacity, and ensures strategically aligned, consistent delivery across a diverse portfolio of projects, programmes and activities. The role is line managed by the Head of Global Engagement (Education).
Main Duties
Programme Management and Improvement
* Responsible for the practical organisation of the complete annual cycle for all U21’s worldwide programmes for staff and students, exercising professional judgement to set priorities and quality standards with delivery partners and member contacts. Influence programme stakeholders to secure participation and ensure opportunities are delivered on time, to standard and in line with network objectives.
* Proactively identify opportunities to improve programme and engagement processes, communicating any changes to member programme contacts and delivery partners. Facilitate two‑way dialogue with stakeholders to build understanding of new approaches, articulate benefits and implications, and support successful adoption of improved ways of working.
Data Management
* Oversee the design, implementation and continuous improvement of U21’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) processes across the member opportunities portfolio, including responsibility for all HubSpot reporting, workflows and data collection for programmes, funding and awards. Provides specialist advice and data‑insight guidance across the organisation, ensuring high quality intelligence on participation and outcome informed decision making.
* Act as a specialist adviser on CRM and data insight, ensuring high‑quality intelligence on participation and outcomes informs decision‑making and contributes to wider network engagement strategy and initiatives. Owns all engagement dashboards and leads strategic communication with programme leads to secure their continued involvement in the network and its activities.
Event Co‑ordination
* Work in strategic partnership with the U21 Events Manager to define programme‑level requirements and resource allocation for in‑person delivery, providing expert input to planning, resource coordination and quality assurance to ensure consistent, high‑impact programme delivery.
Stakeholder Engagement
* Lead the coordination of group meetings for key senior stakeholders, including complex scheduling with network leaders, CRM‑driven communications and attendance workflows, and oversight of agendas / logistics with external contributors, alongside the Global Education and Global Research Leads.
* Chair and develop the U21 Student Reference Group, ensuring effective two‑way communication to influence and demonstrate how student input impacts wider network activity and priorities.
Awards and Funding Calls
* Take ownership of the end‑to‑end delivery of the U21 Awards, U21 Leaders of the Future Awards & U21 Collaborative Seed Fund, actively influencing member institutions to increase nominations and engagement. Lead the development of guidance and FAQs, manage nomination system and selection processes as well co‑ordinate high‑impact communications with the Marketing & Communications Manager to maximise impact.
Communities of Practice
* Act as the Secretariat lead for Communities of Practice, providing expert coordination, maintaining strategic oversight of engagement data and annual reporting, and working with the Marketing & Communications Manager to strengthen visibility and participation. Contribute to shaping a more scalable, sustainable and impactful Communities of Practice model aligned to U21 strategic priorities.
Account Management Support
* Contribute to the delivery and continuous improvement of the U21 Account Management model through ownership of high‑quality documentation and stakeholder data in HubSpot, coordination of institutional engagement activity, and shaping reporting and process enhancements that strengthen relationship management and institutional commitment.
Digital Communications
* Develop strategic digital materials for programmes, funding calls and awards, working closely with the Marketing & Communications Manager to ensure consistency, quality and alignment with U21 priorities, and to support effective engagement across the network.
Financial and Resource Management
* Hold responsibility for administering budgets and financial processes for seed funding, awards and prizes, ensuring all activity complies with organisational governance, financial controls and audit requirements, and demonstrates effective stewardship of resources.
General
* Promotes equality and values diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
* Supports the University and U21’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.
* Any other duties commensurate with the grade.
Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience
* Educated to Degree level (or equivalent qualifications) – where no equivalent qualification is held, significant practical relevant experience and expertise in a similar role will be required.
* Evidence of literacy and numeracy, with the ability to write clearly, and analyse information and data.
* Confident in data management scrutiny and manipulation, including reporting and the development of appropriate evaluation measures / dashboards.
* Experienced in basic digital communications (web, email, social media) with some experience of editing tools such as WordPress, Canva etc.
* Excellent customer service with a proven confidence to respond to enquiries without reference to others.
* Experience of stakeholder management with developed relationship management skills.
* Excellent attention to detail and organisation skills.
* Previous experience with a Customer Relationship Management system (CRM) including the confidence to develop workflows and communications.
* Understands the importance of the student experience and demonstrates a commitment to partnering with students to co‑create the best experience possible.
* Extensive cultural appreciation and ability to proactively and sensitively manage international working across varying cultures and time zones.
* Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day‑to‑day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.
Informal enquiries to Amber Bartlett‑Gee, email: amber.bartlett@universitas21.com
View our staff values and behaviours here.
Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.
We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.
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